Artist theft
by iguanablogger
Summary: When Leonardo da Vinci vanishes, it's up to Ezio Auditore to solve the mystery- with no small help from his friends, that is. Join Ezio, Leo, Rosa, and Antonio on another epic adventure, stuffed with laughs, thrills, and tears!
1. Prologue

Leonardo inhaled deeply as he pushed the window open, allowing the crisp autumn air to grace his studio. The weather was simply perfect- a first, since it had been raining for quite some time recently. After a short, dreamy stare at the beautiful environment, the painter returned to his works. On his desk lay a small tin filled with brushes of all shapes and sizes. Leonardo gently selected one and turned on his heels, making his way across the room. An easel stood, with an average-sized canvas already slung on.

Truth be told, Leonardo had meant to start this painting weeks ago, (hence the pre-prepared equipment) but he'd just never had time. Every chance he had to pull out his brushes was quickly shooed away by a sudden chore, messenger, or Assassin. He smiled nervously to himself as he whisked out a bowl of water- ever since Ezio had begun bombarding him with Codex pages, he hadn't had much time to think about other projects. Yes, he did enjoy the little puzzles, but they were simply too distracting. The young artist wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up.

Thoughts of his angry commissioner, who he'd apologized to just yesterday for the delay, jostled him back to his painting. Leonardo swallowed and mixed the color with the water, creating a rough paste. He then proceeded to stroke his brush across the canvas calmly, allowing the action to relax him. The young man didn't even notice the pair of eyes staring at him through his open window.

Almost silently, the two conversed:

"Are you sure that's the guy, _fratello?_" A nervous whisper asked.

"That's definitely him," A more confident voice replied, "Come on."

With obvious experience, the two thugs hoisted themselves quietly through the window frame. In the sunlight they were much easier to identify- one was tall, the other short. One held a large burlap sack, big enough to hold a statue.

"Remember, Correggio," The short one murmured, grabbing the other's arm for attention, "_Il Padrone _said to only-"

"I know what _Padrone _said!" The tall one hissed angrily, slapping his hand, "Now shut up, you idiot, before you get us caught!"

Leonardo glanced up from his painting, disturbed by the noise. He put down his brush and turned to study the room with curious blue eyes.

"Hello?" He called, taking a few steps forward, "Is someone here?"

The artist waited a few moments. No response. Shaking his head, he decided to return to his easel.

A loud CRACK shot through the studio as a long blunt object connected with the man's head, staggering him. Leonardo gasped in pain and surprise, hands groping for something to hold onto as his legs failed him. His body thudded onto the wood floor, and his confused thoughts were smothered by an unbearably sharp pain in the back of his head. Unable to fight the growing darkness, Leonardo's eyes rolled back and he went limp…

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

THUMP, THUMP!

Ezio's hand went for the doorknob next, after giving his customary double-knock. As usual, the genius' door was unlocked, and the Assassin walked right on in. With a grin, his fingers curled around the ancient scroll in his pocket, already anticipating his friend's excitement. For some reason he never really figured, Leonardo loved examining the little documents left by the Assassin's predecessor.

He strained his ears as he entered, but heard none of the signature sounds that would normally betray the artist's presence. No scratching of a quill on paper, no soft flipping of pages, no footsteps creaking on the floorboards besides his own.

Ezio frowned, "Leonardo?" He called. No response.

Quickly, the Assassin searched his spare bedroom, wondering if perhaps the artist had slept late. However the room was quite empty, and Ezio found evidence suggesting the genius had not even stepped foot in it all day. Only a little worried, he proceeded to Leonardo's workroom, and was rewarded with an odd sight.

His first assumption had been that Leonardo was not home; gone out somewhere with a friend, perhaps (or worse, gone to stare at birds somewhere). But this room threw that assumption out the window; a canvas was neatly set up, and a few brush strokes were beginning to dry on its surface. The brush was not put away- instead it lay calmly next to the easel, soft bristles crusted over with flecks of paint. The paints were also left out, and were starting to spoil themselves. Ezio knew his artist friend well enough to realize that whatever he had been painting, he had been removed from it quite urgently.

An odd feeling began to swirl in Ezio's stomach. Something was very wrong here- Leonardo never just 'left' a painting. And the room was still in perfect order- everything was the same as it had been when Ezio had seen him yesterday.

Taking a deep breath, the Assassin decided that whatever had happened, it probably wasn't serious. Maybe he was painting and was suddenly called off by an urgent message…Who knew.

Ezio undoubtedly would have gone on believing this if he hadn't stepped on the note crinkled on the floor.

Curiously, Ezio bent down and examined the piece of parchment, which seemed to have drifted down from the counter. It read, in spirally handwriting:

"_Gone to visit in-laws. May be gone for a few days. Sorry for the short notice._

_ -Leonardo da Vinci." _

Ezio raised his eyebrows. It took him all of one second to deduce that this note had NOT been written by his best friend. The handwriting was close, but Ezio was one of those people who happened to know Leonardo's secret; the artist wrote everything backwards.

And, although this was merely a hunch, the Assassin was quite certain he did not possess any in-laws, either.

"_Merda," _Ezio sighed, folding the note and placing it in his pocket. He shook his head and made to exit the room, "Leonardo, where are you?"


	2. Look what the tasso dragged in

Ezio scowled at the thieves lounging around the entrance to the grand Seta. It's not that he had anything against them, as their amused glances evidenced; it was that he was just in a bad mood. Leonardo had simply vanished from his studio, and hadn't said a word to him about it.

A little voice in the back of his head reminded Ezio that he had done the exact thing to Leonardo hundreds of times- disappeared through a window, left the city for a couple of years without so much as a simple explanation. Perhaps, Ezio thought dryly, this was the artist's idea of a joke, a way to get his revenge…

Which is what brought him back to the thieves' guild. Ezio did not enjoy being pranked, and if anyone would know where Leonardo was holding out on him, it'd be Antonio. The man knew everything that happened in the city. Upon entering, he found the _palazzo _mostly empty. The thieves were probably out on a mission somewhere- nevertheless, Ezio mounted the marble staircase swiftly and proceeded to Antonio's office.

He knocked politely, twice, before flinging open the door. Antonio sat calmly at his desk, a mug of that _café _drink beside him.

"_Buon giorno, _Ezio." He greeted without looking up from the maps spread haphazardly on the wood desk, taking a small sip of his coffee.

"And you, Antonio," Ezio nodded, walking to the desk casually and gripping its edges, allowing his weight to slide onto his arms. "Have you seen Leonardo da Vinci recently?"

Antonio looked startled, and cast the Assassin a weary coal-eyed glance.

"No," He replied, "I thought you were going to see him this morning?"

"I did," Ezio responded, irritation building at the sight of Antonio's apparent cluelessness, "And he was not there. I found substantial evidence that he was pulled away from his house quite directly."

"Are you sure he hasn't just travelled to another convention in Florence, and you forgot about it?" Antonio asked, eyebrows raised, "…Again?"

"Impossible," Ezio retorted with a shake of his head, "All his equipment was still out- in fact, it appeared as though he were still painting."

"Hmm," Antonio frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He was silent for a moment, then looked up at Ezio carefully, "Did you find anything out of place when you arrived?"

"Out of place…?" Ezio repeated, confused. His eyes narrowed, "You mean, like a struggle?"

"_Si,_" Antonio nodded, "A sideways chair, perhaps, papers on the floor, a broken vase-"

"_Aspetta,_" The Assassin's features brightened and he pulled the folded note from his pocket, "I did find this."

He handed the parchment to the thief master and allowed him to look it over. Antonio raised an eyebrow at him.

"Leonardo did not write that," Ezio explained firmly, "I know it."

"Then I'm afraid my theory is correct," Antonio sighed, and placed the paper on the desk, "Leonardo has been kidnapped, Ezio."

"Kidnapped?" Ezio laughed humorlessly, "Who by? The man never hurt a mockingbird!"

"I'm not sure," Antonio admitted, "But we have to find out who's behind it before they leave the city."

Ezio paled somewhat, "You mean, they'd smuggle him from Venice?"

"Why not?" Antonio replied, "They might even smuggle him out of _Italia _while they're at it."

The Assassin tried to picture his friend in a foreign country, surrounded by strange aliens, all gawking at him. He shook his head to clear the image.

"We have to find him," He announced resolutely, "I'm not letting him leave the city."

"I can have my thieves look for information," Antonio offered, "With luck, they will be able to ascertain by tonight whether or not he is still in the city."

"Good," Ezio said, nodding, "I'll return to the studio and see if I can uncover any more evidence."

Antonio stood, brushing himself off. He was smiling, and Ezio noted that when he did the wrinkles in his eyes stood out, making him more friendly than he'd ever realized.

"And here I thought I would finally have peaceful morning…" The master thief chuckled, taking another sip of his dark brown drink.

Ezio took a few steps back and bowed graciously to the older man.

"_Molto grazie, mi amico,_" He said, "You don't know what your help means to me."

"Think nothing of it, Ezio," Antonio waved him off with a pale hand, placing his mug back on the desk as he moved to the bookshelf, "Think nothing of it."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leonardo awoke with a low moan. He kept his eyes closed, too tired to open them, and realized he was lying facedown on something cold and hard. Dirt, his hands informed him as soon as they were able. A damp feeling on his scalp told him that he might've lost some blood, and his conscious mind was as coherent as soup. Dull pain caused him to shudder, and he let out another tortured groan.

"Correggio, I think he's awake!" The nervous one whispered, just a few feet in front of the incapacitated artist.

Slowly, Leonardo blinked. At first, the torchlight blinded him, causing him to hiss and rub at his blue eyes, but he became accustomed soon. Sitting up carefully, he used the dim light to admire his surroundings. It appeared to be a dark, dank, castle dungeon. Faintly, Leonardo began to wonder if he was still in Venice.

"Shall I go fetch _Il Padrone?_" Two shadowy figures stood on the other side of his cell door, a rusty iron relic. Their voices sounded oddly familiar, but the artist didn't have time to place them.

"No," The older one answered, "I'll bring the inventor to him. Go tell _Padrone _that we're coming."

Light footsteps echoed through the hallway as the first shadow dwindled into obscurity. Leonardo watched in terror as the other man produced a key, opening the door with an ear-torturing creak.

"Get up," The voice commanded coldly.

Leonardo tried to obey, but when he stood the blood rushed to his head, and he blacked out momentarily.

"I said, get UP!" The voice repeated, clearly frustrated. Leonardo gasped and struggled weakly against the firm grip that yanked him upright. There was not enough light for him to study his captor- only that whoever he was appeared quite tall and had an oddly childlike voice.

For the first few steps Leonardo had to lean on the man considerably, as whenever he stood straight his vision would cloud up and threaten to fell him. Apparently that bop on the head did a fair bit of damage to his sense of balance. However, after a few minutes' stumbling, he slowly began to regain his posture and by the time they had reached their destination he felt he could hold his own.

Their new destination was no happier than their previous. Leonardo swallowed nervously as his captor pushed open another iron door that led to a brightly lit room. At the center of the room was a table, with two benches on either side. The young man escorted the painter to the wooden structure, and encouraged him to sit.

Once seated, the thug pulled out a sharp knife, and tapped Leonardo's shoulder with its blade.

"See this?" He asked menacingly, "One wrong move and this cuts your throat."

The inventor did not need to be told twice. Now that there was light, however, he was finally able to get a good look at his kidnapper. The man was shockingly young- only a few years below Ezio, he'd guessed. His head had been brutally conquered by a bush of black hair that looked as though it had never been brushed in its natural lifetime. His eyes were small slits, dotted with green irises. Leonardo also noted that the man was quite lanky. Had the circumstances been extremely different, Leonardo might've considered asking him to model.

The engineer was jolted from his thoughts by the slamming of a large door. A single pair of footsteps echoed around the room, until their owner stepped into the light. Leonardo paled at the sight of him- the man was tall, and his pinched form was rather intimidating. As the stranger took a seat opposite him, Leonardo took great interest in his face. He couldn't have been younger than fifty-six, as the wrinkles would attest. His chin was pointed and sharp, his nose large and beak-like. The man had not a single hair left on his head, which greatly puzzled the young artist. However, it was his eyes that drew the most attention- the left one was perfectly shaped, with a stone grey coloring. The right one, however, was a mess. Something had happened to this man a long time ago, as his eye appeared to have been gouged. The lids were crushed, and the skin of the area appeared to be quite dead, grey in color. It seemed appropriate to Leonardo that such a man would feel more comfortable with an eye patch, but the accessory was indeed lacking. A testament to his character, perhaps?

He smiled, apparently pleased with Leonardo's scrutiny. Several of his teeth were missing. "You are Leonardo da Vinci, _si_?"

His voice was low and raspy, yet commanding. This man had an air around him that said he was not to be crossed. Leonardo gulped, answering, "I am he, _signore._"

"Please, let's not be formal," The man said, tapping his fingers on the table, "You may call me Volto."

"Pleased to, um," Leonardo extended a hand warily, "meet you, _signore_ Volto."

"The pleasure is mine." He replied with a grin, ignoring Leonardo's offer.

"I do hope you don't mind me asking," Leonardo began, "But…where exactly am I?"

"You, _Ser _da Vinci," Volto laughed easiliy, "Are exactly where I want you to be."

Leonardo blinked helplessly at him.

"See, I have a proposal for you, Leonardo," Volto began with a small cough to clear his throat, "A job opportunity, if you will."

"Perhaps I ought to start from the beginning. Many years ago, there were two brothers. They lived in the wealthy city of Venice- but they themselves were not so wealthy. One day, they noticed that the knights who returned from the Pope's Crusade carried more than memories with them. They carried treasures; gold, silver, silk, fruit, everything valuable. And they sold it. They sold it to the merchants, who in turn sold it to the people, and everyone prospered. Well," Volto paused, "almost everyone."

"The brothers tried make money as merchants, but the knights wanted nothing to do with them. Said they weren't trustworthy. After several long months of failed business, the brothers finally gave up. Then they discovered an easier way to make money off these middle-eastern treasures- stealing them. The brothers would run through the stalls every night, picking out the best of the fruit, the most beautiful of the gold, and the finest silk. In the morning, they would return to the market district and offer the goods back to the merchants, who never refused. In this way, the two brothers began to make a decent amount of coin.

"However, such things never last. After years of teamwork, greed began to push them apart. Finally, after a duel between them the brothers separated, each one taking a portion of the market district for himself. Time passed. They married, had children. The market grew, and so did their families. They recruited citizens as thieves and thugs, each one glad to do his master's bidding. One gang was called the Gilda Tasso, and the other gang was called the Gilda Procione. Soon after the two brothers died of age, the Gilds began to squabble. Each one wanted the other's portion. The struggle carried on for decades, and neither gang could get the upper hand.

"Until now," Volto inhaled- Leonardo could tell he was nearing the conclusion. The older man looked at him with his one-eyed gaze. "I've heard of you, _Messer _da Vinci. I saw your handiwork on the rooftops last year." Volto gave a light chuckle, "Who'd have ever thought a man would one day fly across _Venezia, _eh?"

"I'm sorry, _signore,_" Leonardo said uncertainly, "But I don't see what any of this has to do with me…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Volto explained, "You're a genius. And knowledge is power. Frankly, Leonardo, I am sick of this age-old conflict. I want to put an end to that disgusting Gilda Procione once and for all. And you are going to help me do it."

"Me…?" Leonardo repeated, frowning.

"Yes, you." Volto smiled again, "You are going to construct a weapon that will help us, the Gilda Tasso, crush the Gilda Procione under our heel."

"And what if I refuse?" Leonardo asked cautiously.

Volto's expression did not change, "It is your right. But keep in mind that I have rights as well, and I may not take kindly to your refusal."

"I…" Leonardo swallowed, drumming his fingers together nervously, "I would like to think about it."

"If you wish," Volto replied, then nodded at the other thief, "Take him to his room and lock the door."

"I expect to hear from you by nightfall." Was the last thing Volto said before Leonardo was yanked up and escorted from the room. As his captor pulled him down the damp hallways, Leonardo could only relate miserably on his current predicament. And, he thought bitterly, even if he made it out of this alive, Ezio would murder him.


	3. Suspicion, suspicion

The sun filtered through the branches of the young apple tree beautifully, creating a sharp mosaic on the dirt beneath the Assassin's boots as he made his way across it. In the small park area just outside Leonardo's studio, Ezio paced in tight, irritated lines. Two days had passed since the engineer's unexplained disappearance, and the whole thing had put the Assassin on edge. He was prone to snapping, scowling, and plain old grouchiness, something that was slowly causing the two thieves behind him to lose their patience.

"Look, Ezio," Antonio sighed, taking a seat on a bench bolted to the studio's outer wall, "It's not much, but it's what I've got."

"I appreciate your efforts, Antonio," Ezio paused a moment in order to address the master thief, "But if the information is useless, there's nothing to be done!"

"Calm down, Ezio," Rosa said sternly, folding her arms across her chest, "We're going to find him. We just need to be careful about it."

"Alright, alright," The Assassin halted his pacing and sat on the ground, reclining against the base of the fruit tree with a heavy sigh. "Now, tell me what leads you've picked up."

"My thieves tell me there's been an unusual amount of activity in the _Commercianti _district," Antonio began again, "Much more than is normal."

"The thing is," Rosa continued, bringing forth her own information, "It's not coming from our own thieves or our sister guilds. We believe the action to be coming from the two rogue gangs, Procione and Tasso."

"Procione and Tasso?" Ezio repeated, frowning, "Why have I never heard of them?"

"They don't bother much of anyone anymore," Antonio explained, "They mostly quarrel amongst themselves. But lately they've been much more active in their thievery, and not in outrageously valuable objects, either."

"What sort of objects have they been busy with?" Ezio asked.

Rosa shrugged, "Sharp metals, bolts, an entire firewood warehouse was found empty…"

"And what would any of this have to do with Leonardo?" The Assassin asked yet again, glaring at the two thieves with an eagle's intensity.

"We don't know yet." Antonio admitted, lifting his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "But we think there's a connection between the two events."

"So, you think either the Gilda Tasso or the Gilda Procione may have information regarding Leonardo's disappearance." Ezio summarized, nodding his head.

"Possibly," Rosa clarified, "Both are found deep in the _Commercianti _district, although their exact locations are unknown to us."

"You never know until you try, Ezio," Antonio said, taking a breath of the fall air, "And we've already gone through every other source."

"_Bene," _Ezio replied, standing and brushing the dirt from his robes, "I will investigate these rogue thieves' guilds…"

"_Ottimo,_" Antonio smiled, standing as well.

"The question is…Which one first?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ah, _Messer _da Vinci!" Volto greeted him with the sort of excitement that made the inventor's blood run cold, "So nice to see you again."

Leonardo cleared his throat as he approached the older man, eyeing his silver edged desk with distrust, "I've considered your proposal."

"You have, haven't you," The gang leader smiled humorlessly, "And what have you decided?"

"I've…er…decided to aid you in your cause-" Leonardo replied.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear, _amico caro._" Volto interrupted, standing.

"-But I've some conditions!" Leonardo called, his voice sounding too loud for his ears. The one-eyed thief slowly restored his attention to the blonde man.

"I'm going to need some equipment for my, um, designs…" The engineer found that the longer Volto gazed at him, the faster his ability to speak dried up and disappeared.

"I anticipated this," Volto answered, nodding. He made his way around the desk, "Several days ago I ordered my men to raid storehouses holding anything you could possibly need- metal, wood, coal-"

"I appreciate that, _signore,_" Leonardo gulped, mustering as much nerve as possible, "But I will be the one building the contraptions, and I would much rather have what I'm comfortable with…Unless you want the machines to be ill constructed."

Volto stared at him for a long time, his grey eye trying to find purchase in Leonardo's blue set. Truly, the scientist did not need such objects. The whole idea was merely a stall for time, and an excuse to get him outside. He needed to get a message to Ezio, somehow. Anyhow.

"…Fine." The older man ground out finally, through clenched teeth. "I will give you one day to prepare."

"_Vi ringrazio-" _

"Credente and Correggio will accompany you to the surface," Volto explained as he sat back down at his desk, apparently disappointed, "They will lead you about the city, and you will tell them what you need."

Leonardo bowed his head, and turned to leave. His pale hand had hardly reached the doorknob when his captor let out a chilling remark:

"I hope you don't try to escape, however. I never judged you to be a man of violence, _Messer _da Vinci, but if you try anything… I do not think you require your legs to build a war machine."

The blue-eyed engineer gulped and nodded to himself before exiting the room.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rosa paused, pivoting slightly on the balls of her feet to allow herself better balance. She sat perched on the edge of a very tall building overlooking the _Commercianti _district, where Ezio had begun his investigation hours ago. Antonio had told her not to worry, but Rosa had found herself quite bored without him and she had a special spot somewhere for the strange, eccentric little artist himself. Either way, the thief was compelled to aid the Assassin in his search for Leonardo, and so she carefully began to descend the roof. Callused hands searched for loose stones to use as footholds as she moved lower and lower. Finally she was down far enough to drop harmlessly, and she did so without a second thought.

"Now," She muttered to herself as she exited the alley and stepped into broad daylight, "Where did that _figlio di puttana _go off to…?"

Rosa could not even begin to comprehend Ezio's thought processes, and consequentially had not a single clue as to where he would begin his interrogations. Unlike him, she actually knew the gang symbols of the two clans through an unfortunate accident some years back. As she waded through the incessant stream of people, she kept her green eyes peeled for an obvious white hood- but was rewarded with a different familiar sight.

Just a few paces ahead of her, a very odd looking man was making his way down the street, accompanied by two others. All were dressed casually, and so the apparel was not what caught her attention… there was just something familiar about the man's face.

Frowning, the female thief calmly adjusted her course to follow them. All the while she kept her sight on the eerily recognizable fellow. His messy brown hair was hardly being contained under a blue wool cap that looked curiously like her own. The features of his face were what sparked her interest; he had a sharp, almost feline-like nose, dotted with the odd freckle or two. His eye color was indistinguishable from this far, but his eye shape was almond. The man's chin was clean shaven, and he seemed quite agitated by it as he kept brushing his jaw with his thumb. His clothes were only a little misfitting, indicating that he was either very sloppy, or simply dressed in a hurry that morning.

His two companions looked similar to each other- although one was tall, the other short. The short one seemed extremely anxious, and threw glances at absolutely every Venetian police officer they passed. The tall one had a very guarded gaze, and would occasionally snap at insult at the other.

As they continued to walk, Rosa found herself unable to turn away from them. She slowly matched pace, and after a few more moments she was behind them. It was now that she noticed the familiar man lacked his ability to speak. Whenever asked anything by his companions, he would either nod, shake his head, or point to a strange piece of paper he held. Rosa cursed lowly- if she'd only heard his voice, she might've been able to pinpoint his identity. The answer was at the tip of her tongue, and it was annoying the hell out of her. She considered shoving into them rudely and demanding they declare themselves, but instead reviewed her mentor's favorite instruction: patience.

And patience rewarded her. After just a little while longer, the tall one spoke:

"Stay here, _idiota,_" the jab was meant for his short partner, "I'm going to take him over this way. We'll be back in two minutes- and for the love of God, keep your mouth shut."

The smaller one nodded quickly and watched as the other two left him behind. This was a chance if ever she got one.

"_Buon giorno, signore,_" She greeted him kindly, forcing herself to act polite despite the urge to hit her head against a wall, "How are you?"

He looked quite reluctant to answer. The man bit his lip and looked away with nervous brown eyes. Rosa was slightly amused- he was only an inch taller than her. In fact, he resembled a child somewhat…

"_Bene, e te?" _He finally replied after an apparent decision in his head.

"Fine," She smiled at him, and he blushed, "What's your name?"

Rosa took comfort in the fact that she was making him uncomfortable. It reassured her that she was in control of the situation.

"I…I shouldn't say…" He mumbled.

"Oh, you can tell me," Rosa frowned good-naturedly, "I won't tell anyone, if it's such a big secret."

He smiled faintly and answered: "I am Credente."

"And your friends," She prodded, "Or are they relatives?"

"No, not relatives," He shook his head, "Well, actually the tall one, Correggio- he's my brother. But the other one-" He stopped himself right there, going pale.

"The other one?" She asked again.

"CREDENTE!" The shout caused the shorter man to wince, "What did I tell you?"

Correggio jogged over, yanking their companion with him. He nailed Credente with a glare capable of melting glaciers, "Why can't you handle even the simplest of instructions?"

"_Mi despiace, fratello," _He grunted as he was thumped on the back by his brother's free hand, "I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"And you," Correggio's green gaze fell on Rosa in irritation, noticing her for the first time, "What do you want, _puttana?" _

"To leave peacefully, thank you." Rosa replied, straining her voice to keep out the clear anger.

Correggio harrumphed and lead his party away. As he did so, something small fell from a pouch in Credente's belt and clinked onto the ground. Rosa noted the object curiously- at first it looked like nothing other than an ordinary coin, but when she examined it further, there was a certain insignia etched into it…

Olive eyes widened to the extreme when she recognized the figure and suddenly everything clicked. Frantically, Rosa scoured the crowd for the two brothers, but they were quite good at evading her. Whenever she caught a glimpse of them, the crowd would deflect her from getting any closer. By the time she'd snaked her way through the dense clot of people, she had lost them completely.

"_Porco puttana!" _


	4. A plan

_ "_You're sure?_" _

_ "_Yes_, messere!"_

"You don't know anything else? Anything you might want to add?"

_ "N-no, messere! _I swear, I don't know anything! Please, let me live!"

Ezio paused, studying the man from behind his hooded veil. Antonio had informed him earlier of the Gilda Tasso's emblem, and the sniveling thief certainly had it on him. However it seemed the Assassin's luck was not present that day, because his catch was of quite a low rank. After scaring the man out of his wits, Ezio had managed to procure only one important piece of information; the Gilda Tasso's location.

"_Bene,_" Ezio responded finally, watching as the man collapsed on the filthy alley stones, breathing heavily, "_Grazie _for the information. Now go."

The Tasso thief wasted no time in doing so.

Ezio sighed and flicked his cape in annoyance. As he exited the alley and stepped into the afternoon light, he did everything he could to control the frustration he felt. He had already interrogated a Procione thief earlier that day, and he had admitted to being quite a high rank. However the man insisted that his guild had not done the deed, and even after Ezio had threatened him multiple times, he remained convinced that it was the truth. The Assassin was left with no choice but to believe him, as he could see no motive for the thief to lie. Now he'd had his short talk with a Tasso thug, but he'd had no information whatsoever.

As the Auditore wandered aimlessly through the district, the one thought on his mind was- what if this was all a waste of time? The kidnapping was two days ago. In that time, Leonardo could be anywhere, forced to do who knows what. Ezio's fists clenched at the thought of his harmless friend being subjected to torture or some other vile practice. Best not to think of that, he reminded himself, best not to…

"Ezio!" His head snapped up at the sound of Rosa's voice, "There you are, you stupid _imbecile!" _

The Auditore raised an eyebrow at the insult as his fellow came barreling towards him, out of breath. This concerned him slightly- it was very hard to wind Rosa. He surmised she must've been running quite a long way.

"I've been looking all over for you," She huffed, "Look at this!"

She thrust what looked like a tin coin under his nose. Gingerly, Ezio plucked it from her hand and examined it. The small outline of a badger had been neatly pressed into the bent metal, the guild sign of the Tasso.

"So?" He asked skeptically.

"I found this on one of the thieves I saw earlier today," Rosa explained, "he had Leonardo with him!"

"What?" Ezio coughed out, eyes widening.

Rosa nodded, regaining her composure, "I was looking for you before…but instead I found this man- he looked very familiar. He was being shoved around by these two other thieves, one of which I spoke to, and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Ezio interrupted, glaring at her, "Are you _certain _you saw him?"

"Yes," She replied firmly, "He was in a disguise, but I'm sure it was him."

"_Bene,_" The Assassin nodded, brow furrowing in thought, "And these two men? Thieves?"

"One of them, Credente, carried this," She said, lifting the coin between her fingers. "And they seemed quite anxious to get away from me."

"Why?" Ezio muttered, retreating further into his hood, "What would the Gilda Tasso want with Leonardo?"

Rosa shrugged, "I don't know, but I think we should take what we have to Antonio."

"Are you quite sure of this, Rosa?" Ezio asked her decisively, pinning her with his golden stare. "I don't want another dead end. We only have so long before the trail goes cold…"

"I am certain, Ezio," She replied honestly, "If I weren't, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to find you!"

Ezio paused, and there was silence between them as he weighed her testimony. He had a lead now…Gilda Tasso would definitely be worth checking out… But if they didn't have anything, it would be over. The kidnappers would have had more than enough time to do anything by then- he had to be careful about his next move…But again, if he made no move at all…Was a try better than nothing, even if it failed?

The Assassin smiled grimly and met her green gaze, "Then let's go see Antonio."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The thief master was in his office, buried in books. Why he spent so much time studying was anyone's guess- it was rather clear that no university would accept him any time soon. And yet…At every available hour, Antonio could be found with his nose glued to a novel, research edition, or some other type of scripture.

Antonio's reading was disturbed by two large thumps at his door. He looked up, recognizing Ezio's signature knock.

"Come in, Ezio," He called, "I have something for you."

"And I you, Antonio," The Assassin's muffled voice replied, becoming more coherent after he had opened the door and walked in, accompanied by a female thief. Antonio waited for both Rosa and Ezio to position themselves around his desk before bringing his evidence:

"I sent out a group of my men yesterday to collect information from all sorts of nooks and crannies," He began, "They've just returned not thirty minutes ago."

"And?" Ezio prodded, faint desperation in his voice.

"And they've collected quite an interesting amount of evidence against the Tasso guild." Antonio explained, "According to their finds, Leonardo is not only still in the city, but his current patron is the Tasso guild master."

"Patron?" Rosa asked, a slight snicker in her throat, "What could he possibly commission an artist for?"

"Leonardo is far more than an artist…" Ezio reasoned quietly, "Whatever this thug wants from him, it can't be good."

"Exactly," Antonio agreed, then sat back in his chair. There was a moment of silence between them as the group of three thought.

"What do you want to do, Ezio?" Rosa asked him, concerned, "I think we have a case now."

Ezio folded his arms over his chest, rubbing his chin with a gloved thumb. Finally, he spoke, "I have the Gilda Tasso's location. I can sneak in tonight, kill the leader and rescue Leonardo."

"No," Antonio frowned, "That's a stupid plan if ever I heard one."

Ezio scowled at him, apparently offended. "_Mi despiace. _It's what I always do."

"Well, this isn't up to you," Antonio replied, leaning forward on his desk, "I'm helping you form this plan, and it's going to be a good one."

The Assassin grumbled but did nothing to stop him.

"The first thing we need," The thief master explained, "Is inside information. We need to know the entrances, the exits, the hallways- everything. How are you going to get that, Ezio?"

Ezio shrugged, "Find one of the guild members and bribe him. Can't be that hard, can it?"

"No," Antonio admitted, "But I'm afraid that's how my men extracted all the information they already have. And can you trust a thief?"

Ezio laughed at the statement, "Because I clearly don't trust them enough…"

"I have an idea," Rosa said, catching the two males' attention, "I can scout out the Gilda Tasso from the inside."

"You?" Ezio asked, eyebrows raised.

"Sure," Rosa nodded, "It's nothing I haven't done before; their uniform isn't that different from ours, and we already have the token. Once I'm in, getting the information is no problem."

"And you'll find she's more reliable than any Tasso thug," Antonio agreed, turning his head to face the Assassin with a smile.

"What if you're discovered?" Ezio asked simply.

Rosa shrugged, "Then I'll defend myself and run. But at least I'll have what I came for."

Ezio considered it, tapping his foot against the marble floor.

"Alright," He relented, heaving a sigh, "We'll spend the rest of today and tomorrow putting together Rosa's findings. We will strike in two day's time."

"I can use whatever Rosa can describe to create a model of the place," Antonio offered, standing, "It should make our strategy more accurate."

Ezio nodded, "Anything that can help, _amico._ I just hope you two are right about this…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The workroom was not very comfortable. It wasn't small, but it certainly wasn't big enough to hold everything the band of thieves had intended it to.

Leonardo found himself stuffed into a corner, with only a rickety wooden bench to draw designs on.

"Well, perhaps it's not what I'm used to," He muttered to himself as he took a seat on the rotting wooden stool provided him, "But to save my life…It may have to do."

The inventor already knew he couldn't give Volto what he wanted. This was not his fight and he didn't want to become involved. The trick here, he said to himself, is to remain neutral. In the short term, he could build some type of weapon and yes, it would help the Gilda Tasso conquer its enemies. What happened afterwards depended on his captor- Leonardo could see several acceptable reasons for Volto to kill him, and a few to let him live. But, he grimaced, the murder reasons far outweighed the sparing reasons.

And anyway, even if Volto did decide to free him- how long until hedecides he wants more? After the Gilda Tasso had beaten every other thieves' guild in Venice, how long before they attack the Republic itself? In the grand scheme of things, Leonardo da Vinci decided that he did not want the downfall of the _Republicca Serenissima di Venezia _on his hands.

So, he asked himself dryly, now what?

Several days had passed since his kidnapping, although in this dungeon of a guild hall it was difficult to tell. His rescue, if it was coming at all, seemed quite late. Faintly, Leonardo wondered if Ezio even cared he was gone. He hadn't seen the man in a while…

With a scowl, Leonardo wondered if the Assassin was even still in Venice!

The engineer sighed, slumping back over his work. He had to design something for Volto, or he wouldn't make it out of this at all- Ezio aside. Perhaps he could sketch something that _looked _dangerous, but did nothing at all? Ah, but that would only help him if he were gone before Volto realized the fallacy…

Inspiration finally setting in, Leonardo reached for a the mangy quill given him earlier and started to draw.

"Ezio," He murmured softly, "You'd better not be getting yourself killed right now…"


	5. Suiting up

The first thing Leonardo became aware of was the ear-butchering grind of the door to his workroom. Quickly flapping his gummy eyelids, the inventor worked to clear sleep from his mind and bolt upright.

He managed to appear awake just in time- the door was fully open and a tense figure was making his way towards him. After adjusting his eyes to the relative light in the dark room, Leonardo recognized Volto's image- and the impatient expression it bore. Apparently, something had made this man very irritated. The artist could not possibly think of what, nor did he want to know.

"_Messer _da Vinci," He began tightly and neared the rotting bench. He transferred his weight to his forearms and leaned on the wooden supporter, "I understand you've been busy down here for quite some time."

Leonardo nodded, afraid to speak.

Volto continued, "I have already given you a day to prepare. You have had several days to piece together blueprints. And so I ask you-" Leonardo paled, his stomach flipping. This would not be pretty.

"Where is my machine?"

His blue eyes darted nervously and his mouth went dry. No excuse. What was he going to do now? Volto had him, fair and square. Leonardo had been stalling for the last couple of days, trying desperately to get a message out. Now, with no evidence of his attempted rescue, he was forced to face Volto's accusation alone. He just hoped he had the courage…

"_M-m-mi despiace," _He stammered, bowing his head to avoid lying into the man's face, "But the designs take time for me to procure… I assure you I have been moving as fast as I can-!"

"_Silenzio!" _The thief lord interrupted with a scowl, "I have had enough of your games, Da Vinci!" Volto leaned more into the table, pushing his mutilated face into the artist's terrified expression.

"You have forty-eight hours to give me my weapon." He explained coldly, his one good eye turning Leonardo's amateur courage to dust. "If I do not receive it- fully operational and in perfect condition- by then… I will find a new engineer, _capisco?"_

Leonardo was silent, his freckles stood out like dots of coal on his white face.

"Do you understand?" Volto repeated, icy patience at its limit.

"Yes, _messere," _The inventor whispered.

The thief nodded and turned sharply, making to exit the room. After the door gave another edition of its largely disturbing sonata, Leonardo let his head hit the desk. It was too late. Ezio was too late. He had to move now, or he'd lose his life.

Warily, he lifted his head and his eyes drifted to the paper he'd been sketching on before he'd dozed off. It was true, the master inventor never forgot a design- and the picture etched onto the parchment was fairly accurate. But as he took the note in his hands, he asked himself one more time… Is it worth the consequences?

Grimly, Leonardo told himself that if he didn't build it, there wouldn't be many difficult consequences to consider. And so he stood, brushed himself off, and began to forage the room for the construction materials he would need.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Time was a meaningless thing in the underground hideout the artist worked so diligently in. In order to better accustom himself to being treated like a hostage, Leonardo threw himself completely into his work. The machine he had decided to reproduce could be handheld, and about half the length of the table he was building it on. However, it had many intricate dials, switches, and springs that sometimes misfired and broke themselves.

From time to time, Leonardo would be allowed to request a helper. More often than not, he was given the short boy, Credente, as he was apparently idle most of the day. These small work sessions gave Leonardo an opportunity to talk with the young Tasso, and it was there he learned that the boy was quite impressionable. Credente was not very pleased with the guild's latest actions, and even apologized a few times to the inventor. After what he thought was day of working with him, Credente returned to his thiefly-duties and Leonardo was left alone again.

In the long hours he worked in the dark room, Leonardo's faith in his best friend had begun to chip. It felt like years since he was abducted, and it was not like Ezio to wait. If he truly was concerned, Leonardo surmised that Ezio would've long discovered the hideout, broken the door down, gotten himself beat up and probably tossed in a cell beside the engineer in the end- but at least Leonardo would know that he'd tried. But this…this extreme isolation…It made the man wonder.

So he was quite surprised when out of no where, he saw a familiar face among the usual rabble of Tasso thieves. The recognizable entity entered his room claiming to check on his progress for one of the higher-ups. When Leonardo looked up and took in the sight, his eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw hit the ground.

"_R-R-R-Rosa?" _

"Shh!" She immediately hissed, and rushed over to him, "Do you want to get me caught?"

"W-w-what are you d-doing here?" He babbled, voice only slightly lowered. Where there was a Rosa, there was usually an Ezio! Was this it? Was the escape happening? Where was Antonio? Were there any other thieves wandering the Tasso's halls that he didn't know about?

"Call me 'Luciana'," She said quietly, "And I'm here on a very special agenda. I'm afraid I can't tell you the specifics right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leonardo coughed, gaze narrowing.

"Look, Leonardo," She replied sternly, "There is a plan. Ezio is coming for you. Just hold on a little bit longer, ok?"

"How long?" Leonardo asked, "I can't stay here forever, Rosa. They've already given me an ultimatum- either you break me out of here in-" He paused. How many hours had it been since Volto had threatened him? Twelve? Fourteen? Eight?

"Yes, yes, I'd heard that," She muttered, swatting his statement as she would a small bug, "But that isn't enough time. We need just a little longer than that."

"I can't stall him anymore," Leonardo shook his head, "Rosa, I have to give him what he wants." The inventor paused again, then looked up at the female thief with unreadable blue eyes, "Or he'll kill me."

Rosa grimaced and deflected his gaze, "Then give it to him, Leonardo. Ezio is coming, and trust me- we have a plan. Just hold on."

She straightened and turned away before he could formulate a response. By the time Leonardo had processed the previous conversation to his mind, Rosa was long gone. After several minutes of frowning and thinking, a small smile began to pry his lips. A smile of hope.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So you understand completely, then?" Ezio hardly heard Antonio's question as he fastened the red strips on his belt, securing the extra set of knives hidden beneath them.

"_Si,_" He sighed in response, making a few more last minute adjustments to his uniform before turning to face the thief master. If Antonio was anxious, he didn't show it. In fact, the scholar had a unique tendency to always stay calm (the only exception being when he was drunk).

"_Bene," _Antonio said after a few moments, "I'm afraid I shall not be coming with you."

"And why is that?" Ezio asked, cocking his hooded head to one side- it gave off the impression of a curious eagle.

Antonio's coal colored eyes rolled and he explained, "Other urgent business has cropped up, and regrettably, I cannot be in two places at once."

Despite everything, Ezio grinned. "You're reputation says otherwise."

Antonio waved a hand in dismissal and turned around, returning to his desk. "Enough of that, Ezio," He said, "You'd best be off."

The Assassin nodded and bowed respectfully. Then he rotated on his heels and exited the room.

Just outside the door he found Rosa leaning against the wall, nonchalantly.

"Ready to go?" She asked him.

"I've been ready for some time." He replied determinedly and Rosa nodded in understanding.

The plan had been formulated thirty minutes before, and it had been at least two hours since Rosa had returned from her last trip to the Tasso bureau, with maps and documents of information. Antonio had taken his time piecing the things together; his model appeared accurate and the man had the qualities of a mastermind when it came to plotting. The scheme had only been shared by the three present in his office at the time. It was simple- but the group had also spent a lot of time discussing what could go wrong…So much time, in fact, that Ezio had felt forced to intervene, pointing out that if they spent so long worrying about every detail, there wouldn't be a Leonardo left to free. Naturally this had not gone over well with Antonio, and Rosa had to take it upon herself to continue the debate in another direction.

The Assassin's mind snapped back to the present at the clinking of rooftop tiles. Rosa claimed she'd been to the Tasso hideout so many times she already knew the way by heart. Ezio hoped this was true, because once they broke Leonardo out, he never wanted to know how to get back. Depending on Rosa, he reflected, satisfied, was not actually a bad idea. She did all his dirty work for him. In fact, he wondered how much she charged…

"Hey, careful, _goffo idiota!" _The female's outburst interrupted his chain of thought and she elbowed him in the stomach to prevent him from bumping into her. Belatedly, Ezio realized (while rubbing his lower body) that Rosa had pulled to a halt.

"We're there," Rosa announced and pointed down to the water. They stood on a rooftop facing the ocean, which streamed into a canal at the edge of the city. Ezio followed Rosa's finger to the canal's entrance, but found nothing of interest.

"I don't see it," He said, frowning. Rosa heaved a sigh and ordered him to climb down after her. The two made their busy way to street level, and it was there that the female began to stroll innocently beside the channel. Ezio made to follow her, but she stopped him with a hand.

"Just stay there and watch," She explained, "They can't see you coming in with me…but you can watch me use the entrance."

"Isn't it supposed to be secret?" Ezio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, it is," She agreed, "But…loud accidents can happen."

Ezio nodded in appreciation and calmly took his seat on a bench where he'd have a full view of Rosa's direction. In puzzlement, he watched her descend some chiseled stairs that led straight into the water. When she disappeared below sea level he was forced to stand and lean over the edge of the canal to find her.

He had just begun to move when he heard a loud CLANG. Ezio's brows knitted together as he inspected the dull set of stairs Rosa had descended. Slowly taking his way down, he found only a dead end leading straight into the ocean's green water.

Then he remembered the hint Rosa had given. It was definitely metal, maybe a trapdoor of sorts… Using his Vision, Ezio began to examine the wall to his right.

"Ah ha…" He murmured, his fingers finding a loose covering that, when removed, revealed a round sewer-grate of a door. He stared at it for a moment, taking a deep breath of Venetian garbage before heading on in.

"Look out Leonardo, here I come."


	6. Infiltration

The tunnels were slimy, foul smelling, and all-round unpleasant to traverse. Silence and the occasional dimly lit torch were the Assassin's only companions as he continued his dark descent into the fox den. From far ahead, he could detect the scuttling of rats.

_ "Perfecto,_" He grumbled to himself. He'd thought, since so many years had passed since his family's execution, that he would one day become accustomed to the grimy life an Assassin led. But it appeared his body would never forget the seventeen years of bliss it had experienced as a nobleman, and it made the journey through the sewers extremely disagreeable.

After a few more odiferous minutes, Ezio reached a dead end. His fingers moved up to feel around what had blocked his path- but hesitated. Thinking it better for his mental health, he switched to his Eagle Vision and scanned the object.

A large, round grate, not unlike the one he had originally entered through, blocked his path. The length of chain and rusty bolts seemed to suggest it was controlled remotely. Ezio was just thinking on this when a large metal shriek filled the tunnel, causing him to jump.

The Assassin watched on cautiously as the grate began to slide its way into a crevice he had not detected, revealing an open doorway. Ezio froze instantly, trying to remain as silent as possible. Nerves churned in his stomach and he hoped desperately that he had not been discovered before his rescue operation could even begin.

He needn't have worried: "Ezio!" Rosa's voice hissed, "Come on, I can't keep it open forever."

If there'd been time, Ezio would've blushed indignantly at his stupid mistake- but his thoughts were quite preoccupied as he clambered out of the tunnel and his feet found solid ground.

The Auditore scanned the room in interest: it was average sized, and very square. The tunnel he had arrived in was lit on both sides by long candle rods mounted on the walls. Rosa stood before him, wiping her hands on her pants- he noticed the rusty wheel she had used to open the gate for him.

"This is their entrance area," She explained. Ezio noted that the entire room was set in stone- not even the floor was dirt. "It branches off in three different directions. The entire hideout is basically like an ant hill- underground and very confusing."

Also, they have many precautionary traps set up, so that only one who is not of the guild will be repelled." Rosa paused, looking around briefly before returning to him with a glint in her green eyes, "I can help you with those."

"_Ottimo,_" He nodded, and she was about to turn when he lightly grabbed her arm- "Thank you, Rosa. For your help in all this."

Rosa smiled easily, but didn't turn around, "What are friends for." Was the only reply she made, but Ezio sensed much insincerity in this response. He himself had discarded the phrase years ago, when his trust was permanently damaged.

With that, Rosa trotted quickly across the room and turned, heading for the left door. "Follow me, and stay quiet." She instructed him, and he complied.

Ezio made sure to stalk her in the shadows, freezing carefully whenever another thief passed her by. For some reason, every Tasso thug he caught a glimpse of seemed somewhat on edge. Their steps were quick, and their shoulders were tensed. He grimaced- They hadn't been found out…had they?

For several minutes, all he could do was blindly follow Rosa further into the fortress. They took turn after turn, twist after twist, until coming to a public intersection. Ezio ducked behind a tapestry just as a group of thieves made their way in, nodding at Rosa. She waited for them to leave before approaching the banner and whispering to it:

"This is where we part," She said, "You'll find him three right turns south." She paused, waiting for a few thieves to pass through, "I will meet you in front of his chamber. There are two gates in your way- I will raise them for you, but only slightly- I don't want to cause a disturbance. You'll have to-"

Rosa cut herself off immediately, sensing another presence in the hallway. She whirled around to find a tall, curly haired Tasso was staring oddly at her.

"Rosa?" He began, hazel eyes narrowing, "…Are you talking to a tapestry?"

"N-no," Rosa clarified with a wave of her hand, and leaned against the drapery casually, "Just…whispering to myself. I have a lot to get done today."

"Oh," The younger criminal said. They stood there staring at each other awkwardly.

"Go back to your duties, Correggio." Rosa instructed helpfully, and he nodded. She waited for him to leave completely before sighing- that boy, Correggio, had been following her since she had started this operation not too long ago. At first she believed he was suspicious of her, but after a while she realized that something was not right. He was following her for some other reason…and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what that was.

"Anyway," She turned back to the wall, "You'll have to roll under the gates when I lift them."

"_Intesi,_" Ezio muttered as he removed himself from the wide tapestry. He fell back into the shadows, grinning at her.

"…What?" Rosa asked, frowning.

"Nothing," He shrugged, moving swiftly towards the southern tunnel, "I just noticed that being a tapestry can be very comfortable."

"_Semplice idiota mentalita…_" The female thief swore under her breath as the Assassin took his leave of her. She hoped he had the brains to pull this off…Because if he were discovered before even reaching Leonardo's cell, she would have some mildly interesting things to say to him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It appeared whoever designed these underground passageways had a sweet tooth for mind games, Ezio related irately. He had followed Rosa's directions to the letter, but he hadn't arrived without a few nice detours. He had almost been noticed several times, and one thief actually did manage to pick him out. Luckily for Ezio, the boy had been young, and easily convinced to keep himself quiet.

He had passed the gates Rosa mentioned. They were sturdy things, clearly ancient by the amount of rust and grime they had accumulated. No wonder Rosa had been wary about lifting them- he reckoned the sound they produced would warn anyone a mile off. Well…anyone except Leonardo, perhaps. Ezio shook the memories of the absent minded artist from his conscience- he had a job to do.

Just as she'd said earlier, the iron doors lifted themselves slightly off the ground, and Ezio just barely managed to roll under them. After the second time they'd tried this, the Assassin surmised he'd have to find another way out. It was no picnic the first few times, and he had no interest in imagining how Leonardo would react to being shoved under something that heavy.

Finally, Rosa's figure came into view. She stood idly by a very heavily reinforced door. Ezio approached her slowly and hid professionally in the dark beside her. It was fortunate that the base was underground- Assassins tended to agree with damp, dark areas with many deep shadows.

"You made it," Rosa murmured, impressed, "And only ten minutes late…"

"That was not my fault," Ezio insisted, "Whoever designed this place is not healthy."

Rosa shrugged and smiled. Then her hands went into her pocket and she withdrew a ring of keys, producing a sweet jangling sound.

"Here," she handed them to him, "Be careful with these, and meet me back at the entrance."

"How am I going to get past those gates?" He asked her incredulously.

Rosa only grinned, wearing an expression that suggested she knew something he didn't, "We have a friend on the inside who will help you with that."

"Ah," Ezio nodded in false understanding, "Thank you, Rosa. Just one more thing,"

She waited patiently.

"Where can I expect the majority of the thieves to be?"

Rosa bit her lip, thinking for a few moments before replying, "Today is a normal day for them…Most thieves are on the surface, gathering. Off duty thieves will be in the eastern wing, the common area. Avoid them."

"I plan to," Ezio agreed, turning back to Leonardo's door. However he took one more minute before Rosa ran off to admire her meticulousness.

"You know, Rosa," He said, and saw her pause from the corner of his vision, "You're very good at what you do."

"So I've been told." She grinned and ran off.

Correggio watched the intruder sneak into the engineer's room almost soundlessly. The young thief grimaced- the Assassin was heavily armed. He doubted his ability to take the man down himself…

So his thoughts moved to Rosa. He'd overheard the entire conversation… but there wasn't enough time to sprint all the way to the eastern wing and back- he'd just have to take care of matters himself.

Anxiously, Correggio loosened his dagger from his belt and walked quickly to the entrance area, where the two accomplices would eventually meet up…


	7. Rescue

Leonardo frowned, trying hard to ignore the annoying voices just outside his door. The inventor was putting the finishing touches on Volto's weapon- and a good thing, as he surmised his 48 hours were just about up.

However, two people seemed extremely set on having a conversation just outside his door, and it was beginning to irritate him. The fact that they believed they were speaking quietly bothered him even more. Finally, Leonardo gave up his concentration and jumped to his feet, determinedly heading for the door to give those idiots a piece of his mind.

But before he'd made any progress, the door itself swung open with its signature shriek. Curiously, Leonardo squinted, anxious to make out the intruder. Whoever it was calmly turned around, shutting the door as quietly as possible, before facing the blonde engineer with a grin.

"Leonardo?" The stranger began, clearing his throat, "My, you look well for someone who's spent a week in captivity."

Leonardo was unable to believe his eyes. Standing, right in his workroom, smirking as though he'd only been gone a day and absolutely NOTHING was wrong, was Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

The artist was on him so fast the Assassin fought to keep himself standing upright.

"Ezio!" Leonardo whispered through the bone crushing hug, "_Dio, _I'd completely given up on you!"

"Who, me?" Ezio chuckled, expression growing concerned as Leonardo's embrace only tightened, "Because I don't blame you for giving up on _Dio." _

The hug lasted a few more moments while Leonardo simply accepted the presence of his lifelong friend. Finally, they drew apart, the artist's hands resting on his shoulders.

"Now, if we're through with that," Ezio began, with a short cough, "I think it's best you-"

He was interrupted by a completely unexpected and painful blow to the jaw- Ezio staggered back against the door, almost falling entirely. For a moment, his sight went dim and stars burst before his eyes.

"Wh-what was that?" He spluttered as soon as he was able, fingers already tracing his jaw line. That man could throw a punch!

"That was for taking so long," Leonardo huffed, dusting off his bruised fist. His glare was cold and utterly annoyed. "You have no idea how terrible it felt to be so isolated."

Ezio felt a very bitter argument rise in his throat, but kept it down. He had just met Leonardo for the first time in a long, hard week. The arguing could definitely wait.

"Alright," The Auditore nodded weakly, and took the artist's extended hand, "I suppose I had that coming."

Leonardo agreed and the two stood in awkward silence.

"What exactly is the plan?" Leonardo finally asked.

"The plan," Ezio took a deep breath and turned to face the door, "Is for you to do exactly as I say."

"Ah," Leonardo said flatly, "_that _plan. _No grazie." _

And with that, the engineer turned sharply and returned to his desk, making more adjustments to the strange rod that lay there.

"_Scusi?" _Ezio remarked, eyebrows raised.

He waited earnestly for Leonardo to grab the hand-held device and return, appearing completely serious.

"And what exactly is that for?" He asked, gesturing to the invention.

"You'll see," Leonardo shrugged. "Now, we were escaping?"

Ezio frowned but allowed Leonardo to bring the device along as they made their graceful exit. The artist threw one last look at the musty room that had been his home for the past week, then turned away, shaking himself.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Progress was slow as the two trekked through the tunnels. Ezio would hold up his hand if someone was coming, and they would duck in the shadows until the thief had passed. Luckily for the both of them, the underground base was almost completely dark, and perfect for their needs. Being criminals themselves, Leonardo wagered they didn't worry much about unwanted entities.

It was when they got to the first gate that trouble reared its head.

"How are we getting around this?" Leonardo wanted to know, concern tapping lightly in his tone.

"Rosa," Ezio's reply was simple, as though one word solved everything. The Assassin waited anxiously, hoping the female thief's word was as good as it sounded.

He grinned his scar-bending grin when a click sounded through the passage and the gate slowly began to raise itself. It continued for several inches and then came to a halt, dragging a bit of Ezio's confidence with it. The gate was much, much lower this time around…

"What's wrong?" Leonardo frowned, "Why didn't it go up all the way?"

Ezio shook his hooded head, "It should be fine. Come on, Leonardo."

The artist watched in complete wonder as the Assassin got down on his knees and then his stomach. Ezio slowly began to roll under the rusty iron gate, whose bottom grazed the top of his beak. Finally, he came out on the other side and climbed to his feet.

"Now your turn," He said, nodding at the gate. Leonardo folded his arms in a gesture of defiance.

"You cannot be serious," He responded darkly, "Nothing is keeping that thing from crushing me on my way out."

"It didn't crush me," Ezio pointed out, hands on his hips. They really didn't have time for this kind of _baggianate._

"Yes, but-"

"Leonardo! Get under the gate, NOW."

The artist complied, though begrudgingly. However, the moment he bent to his knees, footsteps began to sound directly behind him. Ezio paled- the gates were the most illuminated parts of the passages. There was no shadow that would be able to hide both of them, and he needn't mention that they were on separate sides of the iron barrier!

The footsteps grew closer, and Leonardo's eyes darted up to him, wide with panic.

"No," Ezio muttered, "No, no, it's too soon!"

"Hey!" The voice clearly belonged to a stranger, and harbored confusion. Ezio dove behind a concealed section of the gate, hiding himself- but Leonardo was still in plain view. Merda_, _Ezio swore to himself, _why hadn't he seen this _bastardo _sooner?_

"_Messer _da Vinci?" The voice now held faint recognition, "What are you doing-?"

Ezio wrenched his eyes shut. There was nothing he could do for the engineer now. Suddenly- there was scuffling, then a groan. The dull thud of a body hitting the floor resounded in the stone chamber.

The Assassin flew from his hiding place, blades extended and ready to defend Leonardo at all costs- but dropped everything at the sight of his friend standing across from him, completely unharmed.

"Leonardo?" He began weakly, puzzled as he spied the outline of the thief on the ground, "What…what happened?"

Leonardo smiled and tossed the firearm from one hand to the other. "_Arma di fuoco…_but small as a hummingbird!"

"But-" Ezio said, "I don't understand. Shouldn't there have been a shot?"

"Not with this," Leonardo pointed to a small, interesting looking contraption stuck on the end of the weapon, "It's a silencer. I told you, I never forget a design."

"N-never mind," Ezio shook himself, "We need to keep moving."

As Leonardo rolled himself under the gate, Ezio repressed the need to ask again exactly what had happened.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rosa sighed and glanced around the room yet again. However, her quick reconnaissance revealed no sign of either Assassin or architect. The thief folded her arms in annoyance- no doubt the two were yakking, sucking up all their precious time discussing something trivial. Although, somewhere in the back of her head, Rosa presumed they had a right to. After all, they were best friends who hadn't spoken in a while. She wondered what that must feel like, to have a best friend who worries day and night about you…

Then she snorted. Cynically, she reminded herself that there likely was no such thing. A child's fantasy.

Correggio rounded the corner and stopped short. There, he could see her- waiting at the rendezvous point, just as she'd established with that other man. Nervously, his eyes darted around the empty arrival chamber. He was assured that no one was coming, but…

He knew what they were after- the two had made it clear enough in their discussion, and Correggio wasn't stupid, despite popular belief. He knew they were here to rescue Leonardo da Vinci, and the woman he thought was Luciana was only an imposter. She was here to ensure the escape route.

If he could manage to overpower her…without killing her… Maybe, he could convince her colleagues to surrender. If he could get through all this without killing anyone, Volto would certainly be impressed. After all, no doubt he would like to speak with the traitor himself. And what of the reward? Correggio would finally be recognized, something he'd wanted for too long.

The Tasso steadied himself and tightened his grip on his blade. He reminded himself not get ahead- first he had to best this woman in combat. Couldn't be too hard- after all, he had managed to kidnap Leonardo da Vinci.

Hugging his back to the wall, Correggio slowly snuck into the room. He always made sure the intruder was not looking before he took another step. Gradually, he was able to make his way across the chamber, so that he was hidden behind the grate that marked the entrance to the sanctuary. Luckily, the female thief seemed quite preoccupied, as she kept glancing around the corners in search of her partners. They were late, it seemed, and Correggio smiled. Yes, this shouldn't be too hard…

Silently, he crept forward until he stood directly behind her. He waited a moment, and her posture suddenly went from anxious to frozen. She knew where he was.

Sensing now was the time to act, Correggio slipped his knife around her neck and grabbed her waist with his other hand. Her fingers met his as she attempted to get through to the weapon he found resting on her. He denied her that, and she immediately began to buck. Struggling, kicking, biting at him, she was like a wild animal:

"_Bastardo!" _She yelled, "Get off me!"

"Calm down, will you?" He warned, pressing his knife deeper into her throat- however this did nothing to relax her and she continued to wiggle out of his grasp. Correggio had no desire to injure her, but at the same time he wasn't sure how much longer she would remain contained in his grip. So he switched tactics.

Correggio removed the blade from her neck and instead locked his arm under her chin, squeezing. The thief responded by letting out a round of spluttered coughs, focusing more of her attention now on breathing than trying to get away. For several more seconds he continued to choke her, briefly lifting her off the ground as she still attempted to fight him. But he could tell the lack of oxygen was working wonderfully.

Soon her struggling lessened, and was reduced to her weakly clawing at his arm. After a few more moments of this, he finally felt her head bow beneath him as it appeared consciousness had left her completely. Correggio removed his arm from her bruised windpipe and used it to support her weight against his. Slowly, he moved her closer to the exit and waited triumphantly for the resounding footsteps of her companions…


	8. Escape

After that last run in with the suspicious Tasso, Ezio decided to pick up the pace. He and Leo were now jogging as quietly as possible through the last of the corridors, approaching what he knew to be the exit.

"Just a little bit farther, Leonardo," He murmured, pausing at the doorway to allow the older man to catch up.

The two were quite surprised to enter the arrival chamber only to find Rosa securely bound, semi-conscious, and held at arm's length by a curiously familiar thug.

"_Fermare!" _The man ordered, pulling Rosa closer to him suddenly, "Don't come any closer, _intruso!"_

The Assassin was alarmed, but did an excellent job of hiding it as he slowly raised his hands in the air, careful not to show off his hidden blades. "Calm down, _ragazzo,_" He said soothingly, "I don't mean to harm you."

"Correggio?" Leonardo asked, recognizing the boy as the thief who'd been given complete supervision over him.

"You," He announced, gesturing to Ezio, "Are you the Assassin? The one from _Firenze?" _

"I do not deny it." Ezio replied flatly.

"And you are here to free _Messer_ Leonardo, _si?" _Correggio stated, apprehension causing his grip on Rosa to waver slightly as she returned to her senses.

"I am," Ezio admitted, "And I advise you not to get in my way."

Correggio let out a nervous laugh, "You are not the one making the rules right now, _amico." _

"Correggio," Leonardo began softly, taking a cautious step forward. This was a bad move, as the anxious thief suddenly pulled a dagger from his belt and pressed it shakily to Rosa's throat.

"Stay back!" He insisted, punctuating his demand with a jab to her neck.

"Killing her won't solve anything," Leonardo continued, stepping forward again despite the warning. "Let her go and we'll discuss this."

"N-no," Correggio shook his head, "You two are going to submit to Volto's judgment or I am going to slit her throat!" He sounded as though trying more to convince himself than the two Assassins.

"Correggio," Ezio spoke now, just as gently, "There is no need for this to get ugly. Leonardo can explain everything if you just leave her al-"

"_Silenzio!" _He yelped, taking a step back, "You listen to me or she dies!" At this he twisted his knife, causing a thin gash in Rosa's lower neck.

Rosa let out a quiet moan of pain and struggled weakly, "Get off me, you _idiota, testardo figlio di puttana…_"

"We are not making any progress here, Ezio." Leonardo sighed, turning to the Assassin who stared back grimly.

"Correggio!" Suddenly, another voice broke in the small room, accompanied by running footsteps from just beyond the corridor. All four turned to watch as a short, curly-haired boy burst in, flushed as though he had run the entire length of the building.

"Credente?" Correggio frowned, grip softening for only a moment. Credente doubled up, hands on his thighs, wheezing. "What are you doing here?"

"You have to let her go, Correggio," The younger brother blurted, "Leonardo has to escape!"

"Idiot!" Correggio spat, outraged at his sibling's blasphemy, "What do you know?"

"Please, _fratello, _listen to me!" Credente urged, "Just once!"

The room fell silent, three strangers watching the conflict with dire interest.

"…Continue." Correggio finally said.

"I've been working with Leonardo for a long time now," Credente proceeded, straightening. "Through the hours, we've been talking. He told me about his workshop, about his painting-"

"Get to the point." Correggio interrupted.

"He designs amazing things, brother," The younger said, "The likes of which we can't even begin to imagine. A machine that enables men to fly, a boat that can stay underwater for days at a time-"

"All the more reason for him to work for us!" The other thief pointed out.

"_Gruello, _will you shut up and let him tell the story already?" Rosa snapped angrily from her constraint, significantly silencing the man.

"-The point is, Correggio," Credente paused, biting his lip as he thought hard, "The point is that men like Volto take advantage of brilliant people. He wants to use Leonardo to kill, to murder innocent people. For money. Do you agree that a man should have free will? That he should be able to decide what _he _wants to do with his life?"

For once, Correggio had no argument to make.

"If you turn them in, Leonardo will be severely punished- if not killed- and what will you have gained? You will have slaughtered a beautiful girl-" He hesitated awkwardly as Rosa threw him a look, as though astounded he included her in his speech, "-And receive a pat on the head from someone who will then continue to see you as invisible. I know you've thought of Volto as a father and friend, but Leonardo has taught me what those things truly are. And they are not him."

"I am begging you, Correggio," Credente concluded, pleading with his brother through meaningful grey eyes, "Drop the knife and let them go. Forget you were here. Please."

Silence ruled the room. Correggio swallowed, his mind racing, trying hard to come up with a solution. Sweat had broken out across his forehead and he was the picture of restless indecision.

Finally, he relaxed. The knife lowered itself from Rosa's throat, and his grip around her waist slackened.

"You're right, _fratelino,_" The thief sighed, looking utterly exhausted, "…You're right."

The second Rosa was able, she elbowed her captor in the gut, catching him completely by surprise. When he doubled up in pain, she lifted her knee savagely to his forehead, knocking him back on his feet. She crossed her arms as he lay there, groaning in pain.

When it almost looked like Correggio was attempting to rise to his feet, Rosa delivered a spiteful kick between his legs, which shut him up immediately. She huffed quietly to herself and threw her hair back over her shoulder before turning to face her companions, who gaped at her like fish out of water.

"What?" She asked of them, eyebrow raised.

Ezio was the first to recover with an amused chuckle, "Remind me not to sneak up on you ever again."

"Oh shut up," She grumbled back as they moved towards the entrance, "I don't see what you find so funny."

"So, are you our inside man, then?" Ezio announced, aiming his remark at the bashful Credente.

"Yes, that's him," Rosa explained, "He would be the one who deactivated a few minor traps and helped you two get back to me."

"Then I owe you, friend." The Assassin said quietly, grasping the boy's shoulder firmly, "You should come with us- they do not deserve you here."

"Would if I could," Credente smiled sadly, "But I belong here. While I'm not so crazy about our current _Padrone, _I think this is a good place for us. Besides," He gestured to the nearly-comatose Tasso writhing on the floor, "Someone needs to look after him."

"Then I shall see you another time, perhaps," Ezio replied, nodding in respect at the younger man's decision.

"Farewell, Credente," Leonardo said gently as Rosa worked the entrance gate open. "You are a good man."

"That he is," Rosa grunted, pulling the grate back, "Now let's just make sure his efforts were not in vain, eh?"

In that the Assassins agreed, and exited the hideout with a sense of accomplishment, however slimy.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The night they emerged to was almost as thick as the blackness in the tunnels had been. The three clambered out of the dark grate and then ascended the chiseled steps. Once they were on street level, Ezio announced their pace as a swift stroll.

None even considered their success until they were nearing Seta, only a block away. It was then that they subconsciously slowed their paces and began to relax.

"I don't believe it," Rosa whispered, "Everything actually went according to plan."

"You should probably have someone look at that thing on your neck, though." Ezio told her, tracing the thin line of blood daintily. Rosa pulled away from him, scowling.

"It's nothing, Ezio." She responded, unable to come up with an insult that would describe his behavior at the moment. She tried to ignore the Assassin's shocked expression.

"I…I feel I have to thank you two," Leonardo admitted to the night air, causing his companions to halt. "Ezio, I know how much work this has cost you. And Rosa…You didn't need to do even half the things you did."

"Leonardo, don't say things like that," Ezio said softly, smiling, "You are my friend. You would have done the same for me."

At this Leonardo laughed, remembering fondly the last time his young friend had spoken as such. "I'm not so sure of that, but it is appreciated, _caro mio._"

"Now," Rosa said, unable to stop herself from smiling at the friendship that had bloomed between two polar opposites, "How about we all get home and drink something, eh?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth that the restful atmosphere burst into flame. Torches were suddenly lit on all sides, illuminating the street in a way the moonlight couldn't argue with.

It didn't take the three Assassins long to find that they were completely surrounded. But it was not the Venetian guard that had ambushed them… Rather the entire Tasso gang, armed and menacing.

"Leonardo da Vinci!" They heard his sharp voice before Volto emerged from the crowd of his followers.

"Who is that?" Ezio asked the inventor quietly, but was cut off by the enraged thief in question.

"I have had enough of your mind tricks, Da Vinci," Volto continued, his expression a string of strained patience, "Did you think I didn't know you had escaped? You think I haven't understood your lies and your stalling?"

Leonardo paled and he felt Ezio tensing next to him. Volto paused, his expression slowly changing from fury to smug victory.

"But it doesn't matter now," He explained, pulling a long rod from his cloak, "Because you have already given me what I asked for."

The inventor recognized his silenced gun. His stomach dropped as he realized he'd forgotten it next to the entrance.

Volto seemed quite pleased with his reaction, "I saw the work this little machine did on one of my men. Truly marvelous. I was right to have chosen you."

The master thief raised the firearm, aiming effortlessly for its engineer's heart. "They say that nothing moves faster than a bullet. If I pull this trigger, you would be dead before you'd known what hit you, _vero?" _

The click of the weapon's hammer was too loud for the silence as Volto's finger tightened around its firing mechanism.

"Let's see if they're right." 


	9. Resolution

Volto's grip around the trigger tightened, and Leonardo prepared himself as best he could for the impact. Until-

"_Padrone!" _A desperate cry from somewhere outside the area penetrated Volto's rage, causing the one eyed-thief to hesitate. "_Padrone!"_

The man turned, his mouth already moving to form an irritated question when smoke suddenly filled the air. Coughing was heard and scuffling detected by all three Assassins, but their confusion was replaced with horror when Volto's gun finally went off with a loud crack.

"Leonardo!" Ezio yelled, reaching through the smoke for his friend, praying the shot had missed.

Screams sounded along with the clanging of metal, and the hiss of blades cutting flesh.

"I'm here, _amico!" _Leonardo announced, emerging from the fog and pulling to a halt, exhaustedly, before the Auditore. He then noticed Rosa behind the inventor, grasping his hand firmly in her left and her dagger in her right.

Slowly and with no small amount of choking, the smoke began to clear. The Tasso torches had long been extinguished during the struggle, and moonlight was the only illumination the three had to watch the following scene.

Several Tasso thieves lay dead, their killers similarly dressed. But again, it wasn't the guard, but another group of thugs that had ambushed them. Only Volto had been spared the onslaught, and he seemed very unhappy.

"Astuzio!" He cried out in fury, swinging Leonardo's weapon as though trying to attack an invisible enemy, "Where are you, coward?"

"Astuzio?" Ezio whispered to Rosa. Whoever he was, he was causing Volto a great deal of stress.

"The leader of the Gilda Procione," She clarified as Volto stopped his tantrum, and now stood in silent vehemence.

It was several nerve straining moments before 'Astuzio' appeared from the crowd of Procione thieves, approaching his sworn enemy casually. He was certainly younger than Volto, and sported a healthier head of hair. Ezio continued to watch the man as he soaked up the triumph of his victory.

"Volto," Astuzio began, toying with his short-sword as though the other _Padrone _were of lesser importance, "You've been so completely caught up with this 'Leonardo da Vinci' lately…I was afraid you'd forgotten about me!"

Apparently, Volto had nothing to say to this.

"What?" Astuzio asked, pulling to a halt. He looked shocked, as though Volto had said something outrageous that only he could hear. "Nothing to say for yourself? No threats, no insults?"

"Call off your men and let us fight equally, _stronzo._"

The Procione stood silent as statues in the moonlight, almost as though they had no free will of their own. Ezio slowly came to wonder how it was that the _Padroni _held such complete control over their gilds. He wouldn't be surprised to learn there was a Piece of Eden at work here…

The three Assassins watched the drama eagerly, all waiting for Astuzio's response. None had even noticed the fourth presence until he cleared his throat for attention and grasped Ezio's arm.

"If you would kindly come back to Seta for a moment," Antonio whispered calmly, "I would like to speak with you all."

"Antonio?" Ezio's eyes widened and he fought to keep his voice quiet, "What are you doing here-?"

"That's what I'd like to talk to you about- at _Seta._" The thief frowned and gestured behind him, indicating that it was time to leave.

Rosa followed her mentor and two friends out, although she was quite disappointed to leave early. The performance was just getting good…

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was truly incredible how the office never seemed to change. It was never any cleaner nor dirtier than it was the last time he visited. It was as if Antonio was the only one who ever set foot in it, and he was a god when it came to organization. That, or the guild had a very proficient cleaning lady.

Antonio insisted that they all take a seat, make themselves comfortable, and relax before he would explain anything. Leonardo especially, he pointed out. So, after a few minutes of unwinding silence, Ezio finally broke out the first question of the interrogation.

"I thought you said you had other problems?" He said, watching Antonio's expression carefully, as though a single move would give away his entire thought process.

"I did," Antonio agreed, "They happened to involve the Procione guild."

"What exactly happened back there?" Rosa asked, "One moment, it seemed the Tasso had everything under control, the next…"

"What happened," Antonio coughed modestly, "Was a strategic movement that Astuzio and I planned earlier that day, and I admit it worked out beautifully."

"Excuse me," Leonardo shook his head, confused, "You worked out this plan _before _Ezio came to rescue me? How did you know where we'd be?"

"Let's just say our dear friend Ezio Auditore is somewhat predictable," Antonio replied quickly, "And leave it at that."

Ezio responded by scowled and folding his arms. Rosa smiled at his eight-year-old attitude.

"And how do you know Astuzio?" Leonardo pressed on.

"Truthfully, I don't know him," Antonio admitted, tapping his fingers on the table distractedly, "I have only spoken with him recently these past few days. He's told me much of the Tasso's workings, and is very competent when it comes to strategy." He paused, "Actually, he should be arriving any minute…"

On cue, there was a series of knocks on the door. Antonio quickly bade entrance, and Astuzio strolled in, looking only slightly more tired than he had appeared earlier. As the man took his seat beside Antonio, it wasn't hard for the three to notice that the Procione lacked both pinkies. This intrigued Leonardo somewhat, and Astuzio realized this due to the scientist's transparent face.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Antonio," He began with a clear throat.

"It's quite alright," Antonio waved it off, "You wanted to speak with my associates, I take it?" Astuzio nodded, and turned to the three. His eyes fell on Leonardo with recognition.

"Ah, you must be Leonardo," He said, "I feel I need to thank you."

"Thank me?" Leonardo repeated, puzzled.

"Without you, Volto would never have been as distracted as he was tonight," The Procione explained, gesturing lightly with his mutilated hands, "He seemed…_Obsessed _with you. Something about you simply drove him crazy- which was easy to take advantage of."

"Speaking of which," Ezio interrupted, leaning forward, "May I ask what has become of our dear friend?"

"He's dead now," Astuzio replied flatly, "I have finally settled the score with that _vecchio bastardo._"

"But with their leader gone," Rosa picked up, "What will become of the Tasso?"

"That's what we have to discuss," Astuzio sighed and sat back. For a moment, no one said anything as it seemed the guild master was formulating something mentally. "You see…Your friend Antonio has convinced me to break up the Gilda Procione."

"Really?" Ezio asked dryly, an eyebrow raised beneath his hood, "Your only source of livelihood? Just like that?"

"Not the only source and not just like that," Astuzio replied bitingly, casting a glare on the Assassin, "I've been thinking about this for a long time now. And with Volto finally gone, I feel I can rest easy…That man was pure tyrant from the beginning…"

"I assume he is responsible for the loss of your fingers." Ezio spoke so elegantly the bluntness was easily accepted by all present. Astuzio nodded solemnly.

"And many other atrocities, I'm afraid," The Procione continued, "But now that he's gone… I think a new beginning may be possible. If I step down, the Gild will dissolve."

"And make things much more peaceful for the Venetian guard, I might add." Antonio pointed out.

"Tasso has no leader, as I assume Volto has no immediate children. The next _Padrone _will not be the same, and so I think with some encouragement, the Tasso could be broken as well." Astuzio stated.

"What of the thieves?" Rosa asked, "What will they do, with their guilds gone?"

"They will leave," Astuzio answered simply, "Or perhaps they will join your guild. But this conflict has lasted long enough. I am thoroughly tired of it."

"And now, _signori, _I'm afraid I have to go," The Procione said, slowly climbing to his feet, "I am sorry for being so brief, but I have a lot of work to get started on."

Antonio nodded, "I shall speak with you later, then."

Astuzio agreed and headed for the door. However, Ezio stopped him with a quiet call of his name:

"_Grazie mile," _The Assassin bowed his head gratefully, "We wouldn't have made it without your help."

Astuzio only smiled, "True, _Messer _Auditore, true." And then he left.

The group sat comfortably in silence, all pondering the events that had conspired, and those that would conspire in the near future.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was well past midnight by the time Leonardo finally reached his studio, guided by none other than the infamous _Assassino. _At the door, he stopped, turning.

"I can't thank you enough, Ezio." He said again, smiling tiredly.

"_E niente, _Leonardo," The Assassin ground out, patience with the artist's gratitude dwindling. He wouldn't have rescued the man if he knew he was going to be indebted to him for the rest of his life.

"Would you care to come inside?" Leonardo asked hopefully, gesturing to the carved door.

Ezio nodded with a grin and they entered. The engineer had never been happier to see his messy notebooks and sketches. Week-old skeletons of former meals littered small areas of the room, dating from before the kidnapping. Leonardo took an exhausted seat on his couch, sitting for several moments before Ezio noticed the perplexed look on his face.

"Leonardo, what's wrong?" He asked, taking a seat beside him.

"I was just thinking," The inventor murmured, "Something Volto said to me before…"

"Well?" Ezio sobered at the mention of the deceased's name, but not enough to stop himself from joking a bit, "Out with it. Or would you have me read your mind?"

Leonardo turned to him with a smile, "The day I met him, he said that I would be the one to end the war between the Tasso and the Procione. I would be the downfall of his opponents and harbinger of his certain victory."

"And?" Ezio prodded, amused.

"Well, take a look!" Leonardo laughed lightly and shook his head, "Both gangs are disappearing, the conflict is ending- and I haven't done a thing!"

"Now, that's not true," Ezio said, relaxing and leaning further into the couch. He was relieved to know nothing _serious _troubled his friend, "You built a stick."

"I hardly lifted a finger!" Leonardo protested.

"It was a very nice stick."

"I can see my philosophy is wasted on you."

Ezio responded with a sickeningly sweet and innocent grin.

"Goodnight, Leonardo."

"Don't ruin my couch." The artist grumbled, getting up and lumbering off to his own bedroom.

"I plan to."


	10. Epilogue

The windows squeaked a bit when Leonardo attempted to push them open. The artist winced, figuring he'd need to work on that later. However the faint breeze was quite pleasant and it made the effort worth it.

Today was slightly chillier than it had been in recent weeks. Autumn was coming to a close, and soon the rains would start pouring in. Unfortunately, Leonardo's kidnapping had robbed him of the time he needed to secure a few leaky sections of his workshop before Venice began to flood, and now he was a bit edgy as to when those small holes would be taken care of.

But he was far more concerned with how he was going to explain to his commissioner why his painting was three weeks past its deadline.

Leonardo decided to push the unpleasant thoughts from his mind and merely focus on the painting. With the relaxing sounds of fall wafting through the room, his pigments all set up and ready to use, and the canvas waiting eagerly to be covered, the artist finally felt he was prepared to take responsibility. He had already procrastinated too much, and another moments' deliberation was not what he needed.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Leonardo hardly had a moment to put down his brush before his visitor made himself at home. He could hear Ezio moving across the workshop, deadly arsenal of blades clinking with each step. However, despite his presence causing distraction and interruption, the inventor couldn't help but smile when the Assassin finally appeared.

"What can I do for you, Ezio?" He asked politely.

Ezio said nothing. Instead, he grinned and offered Leonardo a roll of parchment, quite antique-looking.

"A Codex page?" Leonardo asked, eyebrows raising as he took the paper and placed it beside his easel.

"I've been meaning to give it to you for some time," The Auditore replied, shrugging, "But you were…preoccupied."

Leonardo chuckled lightly, "I was, wasn't I…" He muttered to himself.

"So-" Ezio grunted, taking a seat at the bench beside Leonardo's current set-up, and leaning heavily on the table, "How have you been?"

"Ezio, I hate to do this to you," Leonardo began, inhaling, "But I really, _really _have to finish this painting."

The Assassin raised an eyebrow. One look at the canvas revealed that the picture was no where near finished.

"I'll get you the Codex page as soon as I'm done, _bene?" _Leonardo pressed on, exasperated.

"…I see your time in captivity has aided you in your quest for a backbone." Ezio finally remarked after several moments' consideration.

Leonardo smiled helplessly before turning back to his painting.

"So…How long will I have to wait, exactly?" Ezio asked, leaning back in his seat in an effort to acquire comfort.

"Until I am finished." Leonardo responded simply.

"Ah," Ezio nodded, as though accepting a deep and thoughtful answer, "That long."

A few peaceful moments flew by and the only sound was the soft scratching of the brush's bristles on canvas.

"Done yet?"

"I am going to ignore you until you go away, Ezio."

"How about now?"

"I'm not speaking to you."

"Now?"

The banter continued until finally, after several minutes, the Assassin ended up leaving the studio with a curiously vibrant green streak splattered across his sleeve. However, anyone could see from observing their playful teasing, that everything was back to normal for both painter and Assassin.

Until next time.


End file.
